1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of docking an air passenger bridge or a goods handling bridge to an airplane door automatically in the absence of the influence of a driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
In present days many airports include passenger bridges or walkways which are connected to an airplane from a terminal building and along which passengers pass to and from an airplane. Several different types of passenger bridges are known in the art, of which one type of bridge is a so-called mobile telescopic bridge (MTB) which comprises a number of telescopic components where the outmost component is supported by a bogie that includes separately driven wheels. The passenger bridge is manoeuvred by means of this bogie on the airplane hard standing towards and away from an airplane. At the point of connection of the bridge with a terminal building there is provided a rotunda which can be rotated about a vertical axis and which is supported by a ground-anchored pillar. A cabin which is rotatable relative to the outmost telescopic element of the passenger bridge is provided on the outmost part of said bridge. The cabin is that part of the bridge adapted for connection to a door of an airplane.
A serious problem with existing solutions is the relatively long time it takes to embark passengers on the airplane and also in evacuating passengers from the airplane when the airplane is parked at a so-called gate. This means that the time taken from the moment an airplane has landed to the moment at which it can again be started is unnecessarily long, which is uneconomical at the same time as the passengers are of the opinion that they are forced to wait unnecessarily.
It is known that docking of an airplane to a passenger bridge uses contact less measurement of the distance to the incoming airplane. It is also known to indicate to the pilot the position of the airplane relative to the centre line along which the airplane shall move towards a stopping point at which the cabin shall be docked with the airplane door. This distance measurement is used to indicate the stopping point to the pilot. The stopping point is individual to different airplanes and thus lies at different distances from the distance meter used. It is presumed that such a docking system is aware of the type of airplane to be docked and therewith the distance between the distance meter and a specific part of the airplane.
The technique most used at presence for measuring the distance and in certain instances also the position of the airplane relative to this centre line involves the use of distance determining or range finding lasers.
The airplane is thus now led relatively quickly into its stopping point.
There then follows a time consuming period during which the passengers wait in the plane, namely the time taken to dock the cabin with the airplane door. To this end it is necessary at present for an attendant at the airport terminal to walk along the passenger bridge to the cabin and, with the aid of an operating lever, move the passenger bridge out towards the airplane to a position in which the leading edge of the cabin is in abutment with the airplane at the location of a door. Experience has shown that this operation can take up to five minutes from the time at which the airplane has been positioned at its stopping point.
Swedish Patent specification 503 396 describes a method of automatically connecting a passenger bridge to an airplane. The invention according to this patent specification 503 396 greatly reduces the time taken to connect the cabin. However, when this connection shall take place fully automatically and result in a correct connection it is necessary to check the type of airplane concerned and the version of said type, by effecting measurements on the airplane or in response to an all-clear signal given by an airline representative that docking may take place.
Data entered into an all-inclusive data system concerning the type and version of the airplane concerned is normally considered to be correct. However, experience has shown that such data in an all-inclusive data system, for instance in the data system FIDS (Flight Information and Destination System) and/or in a local data system, for instance GOS (Gate Operating System), used for allocating a gate to incoming airplane, is not always correct.